Defender of the Faith is interesting, seems like he is not planning to go to war then.
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[Spoilers] Woden takes on the World (PBEM18)
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(September 8th, 2020, 11:47)NobleZarkon Wrote: Defender of the Faith is interesting, seems like he is not planning to go to war then. Best bet is he is going to buckle down until he can reach Nationalism and unlock his awesome Battleships. This is good, as I don't think he has plans on an invasion otherwise Crusade would have been a better choice. But it also means an invasion of his lands will be difficult. Starting to think it might be better to go raze suboptimal's coastal cities while building my defenses at home before attacking Brazil's coastal cities. We have a little ways before Nationalism, so I have some time to think about it.
Turn 90
Played this turn yesterday and so much happened (not), I don't really remember. Here is my core...  A couple of things I do remember is a barb camp showed up east of La Venta and I got pissed at the luxury change from the last patch. The loss of the free luxury for a new city. All my cities should be getting the 5% for being happy but no, they are content and in fact I only have 2 cities with an extra luxury. I have 3 more types I can/will hook up, so 8 luxuries total. Eight luxuries (2 continents worth) at four cities per luxury and each luxury makes 2 population happy, gives us 64 population to remain content. With 13 cities in the near future, that is 6 population a piece, not enough for a third district. This means that the majority of my cities will need Entertainment Plazas. What a waste of a district, especially as the 3rd district...4th would be okay but not 3rd. One district has to be a trader district, so only one other type before I need luxuries. I could let my cities go to the -1 happiness level and not lose anything but I do like the buffer, so I don't lose anything when it grows beyond that limit. And I am not counting an war wariness here. I don't know, I need to see how this plays out but it seems they made wide empires too costly or luxury providing wonders way more powerful. I might actually have to build that lake wonder at Moria, just for the happiness. Anyways, not much going on this turn. Internationally, Ichabod gained 3 empire and era points. Kaiser finished a civic and gained an empire point. Suboptimal gained an empire point and 3 era points (meeting me). CMF earned an era point. Turn 90 Next settler at Gondor is out and heads to the sea. I slot another one and chop it out to finish next turn. I switch research to Naval Tradition to get rid of colonization for the harbor doubling card. I notice a big jump in Ichabod's science, form 49  to 63. Best bet is he slotted the campus doubling card, maybe while finishing another campus. In the northeast... I am taking a little bit of a risk with my settler and going for the farther east city. I am hoping someone's galley doesn't show up. I am safe this turn but next turn I will be next to the shore and anybody but Kaiser could be lurking just out of sight. Luckily, my settlers to have a embark/disembark cost, so I could land on the cows if I had too. Got to like 4 movement settlers in the water. My next 2 cities will be founded in 2 turns, followed by my western city the following turn. The city next to Alara Kitan will be founded in 5 turns. I did get a notification that the Pyramids finished this turn in Brazil but also think he finished the Hanging Gardens...  He better slow down and save some era points for the next age. He did see a big jump in points this turn, going from 313 point last turn to 362 this turn, almost 100 more points than me and Kaiser. Ichabod finished a civic, gained 6 empire points, 30 wonder points, and 10 era points. He probably has 20 more era points than he needs. I wonder if he is building the Colosseum at Sao Paulo. The Colosseum would help my luxury issues. Kaiser finished a tech and now is only 1 tech behind me. Suboptimal finished a civic, gained an empire point, and earned a era point. No score change for CMF.
It's interesting how a subtle ability like no Settler embark/disembark charges can change things significantly.
Is there any advantage to not caring about era score and just getting things done when you can?? (September 10th, 2020, 03:10)NobleZarkon Wrote: It's interesting how a subtle ability like no Settler embark/disembark charges can change things significantly. Not only do they get the no embarking/disembarking movement cost but also have 4 movement, instead of 2, when embarked. And if you start your turn in the water, you can move on land and not lose the extra movement points. It is a pretty nice feature for Phoenicia. Quote:Is there any advantage to not caring about era score and just getting things done when you can?? There is plenty of advantage for completed things without thinking about era score. Everything comes online quicker and can speed up pretty much everything else. And to be fair, we are 8 turns away from the era change. If my commercial hub at Osgiliath was going to complete next turn, I would finish it even though I will have enough for a golden age already lined up. That would be 7  /7 for 8 turns, definitely worth it. But Hanging Gardens, I am not sure. I don't think he was in a race for it. Three Golden Ages in a row can be tough to get, you start running out of the "easy" sources of era points, like barb camps, and have to go for the more difficult ones. I am not sure I can get my next one and I plan on getting a splendid district of every type during that age. He might be thinking about doing a cultural victory and building lots of wonders with his high production cities. Then, it won't matter that he is kicking out a bunch right now.
Turn 92
Interesting turn, start off with...  Swap out Colonization for Naval Infrastructure, for a boost of 8.3 After closing out the policy swap, I notice a bunch of notification. I figured it is Ichabod and Kaiser swapping Suzerainship at Bologna and them declaring on Canada again. It has been happening for the last few turns. But then I noticed... Kaiser has declared war on Ichabod! Well, that is one way to keep your suzerianship. Ichabod did have Amani in Bologna. This is going to be a total fake war, since they would have to move through me to get to each other, Ichabod doesn't have much of an army yet, and Kaiser has Canada to deal with. Kaiser does come asking for me to join the war and declare on Ichabod...That is a big fat NO! I have other thinks planned and am in no shape for a war. I do send him 10 iron to kind of tell him maybe in 10 turns but really I need like 15-20 to build my defenses. Besides, he only declared war so he can keep getting his extra GP points from Bologna. Not really worth it to me right now. CMF (actually, williams482) comes asking for 110 . I reject this offer but think about it as I play. Kaiser does have these now... I forget what they are called but whatever horsemen upgrade to at at Castles. Not sure if he is going after Vilnius or trying to flank Canada. They are the start of the next generation of military tech and I don't think Canada has much to counter. Okay, he came asking to trade his extra wines a few turns ago for some gold and is now looking for some upgrade gold. Well, I do want him to be able to keep Kaiser busy and drag him into a prolonged war. Plus, I also need more luxuries for my expanding empire. Okay, I decide to send 100 plus 4 gpt for his wines. A little less gold than was asked for in both trades but he gets some upgrade gold and a little maintenance gold to cover more units, I get more luxuries. That should help him keep Kaiser busy. Next turn, I settle 2 new cities and complete a couple of traders and a builder. I do slot Medieval Fares since Mercenaries is down to 1 turn and I will complete that when Cartography finishes in 6 turns. Interesting turn of events. Maybe it will turn into something.
Turn 93
Start turn off with founding 2 new cities...  Both place Cothons that will be chopped in a few turns. I send Magnus to Mount Doom and will double chop the forested deer once he is established. Traders finish at Erebor and Rohan and I send them to my new cities. Rohan starts a builder and Erebor works on the archer that had some production in it already. Rivendell finishes its builder and will finish an archer next turn for the boost to Machinery, then will work on its campus. Builder will lumbermill the plains forested hill and then hook up the cocoa before heading to Misty Mountains to chop a place for a Commercial Hub. Out west...  I had my quadrireme snoop for suboptimal's galley to see if he is planning to get the circumnavigation bonus once he gets Lief Erickson in 3 turns and find the galley were I thought he might be. Looks like I won't get that 5 era points. I fortify my horseman to keep watch on Brazil's borders in case he moves up to free Fez. Looks like he brought a chariot out to play and keep watch on me. Settler for Helm's Deep is in position to settle next turn and I will take the barb camp for some gold and reach the golden age threshold. Score-wise (for the last 2 turns), Ichabod gained 3 empire points. Kaiser gained 3 empire points and finished a tech, retaking the lead in the science rankings. Suboptimal gained 5 empire points and 1 era score. CMF score is unchanged. With my 2 new cities, I retake second place in score (not updated yet but I was only behind Kaiser by 2 points) and I retake the lead in empire score. I will found another city next turn and another one in 3 turns. This pahse of expansion is coming to a close, so it is time to move on to my next phase, which is improving my economy, build some units to defend my expanding empire, and get my industrial core up and running while getting out a bunch of quadriremes out before I finish Square Rigging. Then I will go ruin suboptimal's game while securing my domination of the seas and figure out what I am going to do with Brazil. I do need to sit down and outline my next moves. I have a general idea but really need to form a plan. I have 4 more city locations in the west I can settle and it is looking like there may be another city or 2 south of Misty Mountains that are decent and can provide good Campuses/Holy Sites. I have a bunch of districts to build and need to create an army to either protect against a 2-v-1 on me or launch an invasion on either of my powerful neighbors.
September 12th, 2020, 21:16
(This post was last modified: September 12th, 2020, 21:17 by Woden.)
Turn 94
I strat the turn off with founding Helm's Deep...  I figured I would call this one Helm's Deep since it is by Rohan and it will be my fortress in the west, and it is by some mountains. I buy the second ring marsh that I will harvest and place a discounted encampment once the districts I have placed and in production are complete. The 2 Campuses, Commercial Hub, 2 Cothons, and Industrial Zone at Gondor should give me the discount. I also took the barb camp for 3 more era points and 50 . Founding Helm's Deep did trigger the 3 era points for a sprawling empire (3 more cities than anybody else), so I am well into a Golden Age. Makes me think I should hold off on Cartography until the era change since I don't think I will be first to circumnavigate the world. Maybe, will have to think about it. Down south, my horse first moves east to defog some area and finds a dead end, then moves south and finds...  Antioch! Nice, could use some more gold. I place 1 envoy into them to get the 4 and switch civics research back to Mercenaries to finish next turn. I will use that envoy plus the one from Naval Tradition to get 3 envoys and 6 more gold. They want me to send them a trade route. I also pinned a possible city location. It would have -7 loyalty but does have nice Campus and Holy Site locations. Not sure when I might go for it and someone else will probably settle it but we will see. Over in the northeast (screenshot didn't take), I send both traders in my new cities to Gondor for a 2  /3 trader routes. Also, I think I messed up by not keeping my warrior on my next city spot. I sent my warrior back south to check on Kaiser's cities but now it looks like he is sending his warrior to the geothermal tile to block any future city there, it is the only remaining freshwater tile along the northern coast, and he will make it there before my settler can. Also, it got me thinking that it might be better to send my settler west to lock in my western shoreline and help Fez with loyalty. I have my warrior head back north to keep an eye on Kaiser's warrior and will decide next turn. The only reason I wanted that city was for the Fox tile but I have a plan to get that tile if I have too. Internationally, Ichabod finished a civic and gained 6 empire points (not a city). Kaiser gained 5 empire points and 6 era points(?). Suboptimal gained 5 empire points and 1 era point, and CMF gained an empire point. Looks to be a bunch of districts being built this last turn. |
